**DO not use - done through Dreamweaver*** (Feb 08) Email thru to Maddy or Vicky

Weekly Home Loan report: The past week has been relatively quiet on the home loan front and it appears much of the attention is shifting to what the Reserve Bank will do it at its next official cash rate review on July 28.

Wellington

Rotorua

The Retirement Commission has stepped into the debate of what the financial services industry should look like by commissioning a paper that produces some strong conclusions on disclosure and education.

Thousands more New Zealanders are now eligible for help with buying their first home, Housing Minister Steve Maharey says.

Pacific Retail Finance Limited (PRF) has received credit ratings by two international agencies in response to a growing demand by intermediaries and investors for finance companies to be rated.

Elders Finance is changing its name to Hanover Finance after losing a dispute over the Elders name.

Wellington investment group St Laurence's has raised $30 million in its recently closed bond offer.

The New Zealand Super Fund has appointed AMP Capital Investors to manage a New Zealand unlisted property mandate,

First-home buyers are likely to be better off buying a property now rather than waiting five years in the hope of cashing in on the government's KiwiSaver scheme, say Professionals real estate agents

Sovereign is exiting the group health insurance business and is to focus on individual health contracts.

A government discussion document outlines proposals for fairer, more consistent rules on taxing income from collective funds and offshore portfolio share investments, according to Dr Michael Cullen.